And now:   Sharlot goes Anaty Ala (into the forest)!

Many a long month ago, I merged some ideas on hiking with visiting friends and finally seeing some real rainforest.  Well, that original trip (some nine day thing, ending in Maronsetra at the annual "Whale Festival") did not happen.  Things stood in our way, and at the same time, even better opportunities opened up.  So, last July 25th...two other PCV friends of mine, and another visiting, and I took a plane to Maronsetra, "the armpit of Madagascar" (look at a map, and the North Eastern peninsula and bay, and then the innermost part of the bay) which is GORGEOUS and only called the armpit for it's unfortunate location.  It also has little telephone access, no internet, and if you thought I was secluded, you should talk to the volunteers up there!  So, we were met at the airport by two other PCV friends, and the six of us women then set out on a 6 day half circle hike from one PCVs site to the other.  It was incredible...we stopped along the way to give some environment and health messages (mine included how to keep flies away from your food, since they have most likely eaten some disease infected *something* and about building latrines).  We hiked every day, long hikes.  We hiked through mud.  We hiked through what was so muddy it should have been a rice field...but was a road.  We hiked at night through the mud.  And we hiked though gorgeous streams, around enormous trees, and under free lemurs.  As my mom said upon returning from M/car, it was overwhelming in every way.

When we got done with our week of rice and beans for EVERY meal (oh yes, three times a day!  No carrot salad here!) we took a boat down a river from the last PCVs site back to Maronsetra; can you imagine no taxi-brousses, but a boat to your banking town?!?!  Because of having to shave a day off of our trip (20% airline discount!), we immediately repacked our sleeping bags and got on another boat, this one into the bay, to go to the National Parks of Nosy Mangabe, and Masoala.  We were in town for three hours!  But the island of Nosy Mangabe was gorgeous with a good guide and lots of history.  More lemurs, and some pretty kick-ass frogs.  We camped on the beach...which I've never done, and I found that I must be a little off, since the soothing sound all my friends talked about really just kept me up!.  In any case it was all incredible...and green!  Just green everywhere.  Also most indescribable.  The next day onto Masoala (eye of the forest) on that peninsula.  Saw the Red-Ruffed lemur (only found there) who was alone and so big and fat, that I knew he must be the Godfather of the forest.  We saw more of the crazy green.  Our guide kept pointing out the Ramy tree to us (which we are still debating if he meant to say that it is the source of the wood and the glue, or just the glue for pirogues-small boats).  It has an incredible root base, though, that reminds me of flying buttresses on Gothic churches.  Vines constantly caught at our shoes, and the tiny streams were cooling.  Simply...yeah, I'm out of adjectives.  All of the confusion over guide responsibilities (we almost got into the boat to leave with one pot, one plate and a spoon!), camping for 9 nights, that pesky ocean, and not seeing any whales!, all of it was part of the experience of this vast green place, that i am now happy i have seen and perhaps happy that i don't live in...it was balmy in the winter...summer might be too much for this Arizona native!  Awesome and overwhelming in every way. 

Ok...i'll write later about how the opening of my library goes...September 3rd if you're planning on being at the party!  heehee.  Love and miss you all!  Sharlot

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